Mustangs and movie cars lead Leake’s Tulsa auction

Lot #470: 1968 Ford Mustang Stryker Coupe. One-of-a-kind built by Sanderson’s Customs & Conversions with design contributions by George Barris. Designed as tribute to the US Armed Forces.

TULSA, Okla. — Leake Auction Company is preparing for their annual collector car auction in Tulsa, June 6- 8, in the River Spirit Expo at Expo Square. The three-day event will feature 750 collector vehicles including trucks, classics, muscle and sports cars, customs and hot rods. Twenty-three Mustangs spanning many decades will also cross the two-lane auction block as 2014 is the 50th anniversary of the Mustang. In addition to the Mustangs, four vehicles used in the Oklahoma-based movie August: Osage County will be sold.

Ford unveiled the first Mustang in 1964 during the World Fair in New York, creating the first “pony class” of American automobiles. Within three months of the Mustang’s debut, the car exceeded the original sales forecast of 100,000 units. More than one million Mustangs were built in its first eighteen months. The 1965 Mustang was Ford’s most successful launch since the Model A in the late 1920s. Over the years, the Mustang saw many modifications to make the car affordable, sportier and more performance oriented. This included a partnership with Carroll Shelby from 1965-1970 to manufacture an even higher performance vehicle. Despite many design changes throughout the history of the Mustang, it is the only original pony car to remain in uninterrupted production for five decades. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Ford produced 1,964 2015 Mustang 50th Anniversary Editions, available in Wimbledon White – the same color of the first Mustang off the line, or Kona Blue.

Set in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, August: Osage County featured an all-star cast including: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Juliette Lewis and Dermot Mulroney. The dark comedy focuses on the gathering of a dysfunctional family when the family patriarch disappears. Four vehicles from the movie are owned by a Tulsa resident who was a stunt double in the movie. All of the vehicles are drivable, however they have been wrapped to appear to be old, beaten-up cars.

Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and military personnel with an ID and $7 for children under 12. Doors open at 9am daily. The auction will start at noon on Friday, 10am on Saturday and 11am on Sunday.